 This pressed-metal stick pin is English in both manufacture and distribution. Sylvia Pankhurst, the artist-daughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, one of the founders of the W.S.P.U. (Women’s Social and Political Union), designed the famous Portcullis or Holloway prison brooch which was based upon the portcullis symbol of the House of Commons. It featured a superimposed arrow in purple, green, and white, the colors of the W.S.P.U., over the Commons gates. These brooches were given only to those who went to prison for the cause, although the design did appear on tea cups and post cards sold to the public. The arrow, which represented the obstructions at the bottom of the gate, became an iconic symbol in its own right, and it appeared on several varieties of hat pin without any explanatory wording, the symbol becoming well known. One also finds this exact symbol on photographs of prison garb worn by suffragists. This is the first known example of the arrow on a stick pin. Loss to finish on the high spots, else very good. Sold for $239. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com